The Smashing Pumpkins – “Solara”
Here it is: The first single from the 75%-reunited Smashing Pumpkins. (That’d be Billy Corgan, James Iha, Jimmy Chamberlain, and, uh, Jeff Schroeder.)
It’s been a long and contentious road to this point, dating back to long before the recent public feuding about original bassist D’Arcy Wretzky’s exclusion from the band. Without her on board, it’s hard to call this a proper reunion, but there’s reason to be excited nonetheless. The Pumpkins sound focused on providing a proper nostalgia trip during their upcoming arena tour, with a proposed setlist built entirely from their pre-breakup albums plus a few classic covers. Are they bringing that sort of fan service to their recorded material?
The Rick Rubin-produced “Solara” is our first chance to find out. When it briefly leaked earlier today, the Pumpkins subreddit did not find it satisfying. Decide for yourself below.
A video for the track directed by Nick Koenig is coming soon.